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Fruits and vegetables are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and disease-fighting phytochemicals. Because of this, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables everyday can help reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type II diabetes and certain cancers.1

When Harvard researchers combined findings from their studies with several other long-term studies in the U.S. and Europe, and looked at coronary heart disease and stroke separately, they found a similar protective effect: Individuals who ate more than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day had roughly a 20% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, compared with individuals who ate less than three servings per day.2

Fruits and vegetables have many important phytochemicals that help “fight” or defend our bodies from harmful elements. Phytochemicals are usually related to colors — green, yellow-orange, red, blue-purple, and white — combinations of nutrients that work together to promote good health.3

Because they’re low in calories and high in fiber, fruits and vegetables can help us control our weight. By eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer high-caloric foods, it’s easier to control our weight, especially since they are natural sources of energy and the many nutrients we need to keep going. Non-starchy vegetables and fruits like apples, pears and green leafy veggies especially help promote weight loss, and their low glycemic loads help prevent blood sugar spikes that may increase hunger.4

Since no single fruit or vegetable provides all the nutrients we need to be healthy, it’s important to eat a large variety of differently colored produce. Nutritionists recommend having at least one serving from each category, including dark leafy greens, yellow or orange fruits, red fruits and vegetables, legumes and peas, and last but not least, citrus fruits.5

There’s no magic bullet when it comes to eating well, but there are ways to make it easier. Here are some tips:

  • Keep fruit where you can see it.Place several ready-to-eat washed whole fruits in a bowl or store chopped colorful fruits in a glass bowl in the refrigerator to replace sweets made with added sugars.
  • Cook often and include more vegetables. Salads, soups, and stir-fry are easy ways to incorporate a variety of tasty vegetables into meals.
  • Have chopped celery, carrots, cucumbers, jicama and other vegetables ready to snack on throughout the day. Remember that eating more veggies won’t necessarily help with weight loss unless it replaces foods, which contain refined carbohydrates, for example, white bread, chips or crackers.
  • Fruits and veggies are nutritious in many forms—fresh, frozen, and canned without added salt and sugar. Remember to incorporate canned or frozen produce into smoothies. Kenzen Vital Balance® and Kenzen Super Ciaga™ are ideal organic powders to help you ramp up your smoothies with plant-based protein or superfruit antioxidants.

It’s important to role model an Active Wellness regimen that includes good eating habits, since a child brought up with sound nutrition has a much better chance at becoming a healthy adult!



Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Overall

Mental health is a big part of overall health but there has been a stigma attached to it for years. For example, if you have cancer, diabetes or heart disease, people tend to be sympathetic, but if you suffer from depression or anxiety, there are still some who express the belief that those are “chosen” and not real disorders, that people can simply choose to be happy and well. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and one annual constant is the effort to dispel those misconceptions.

The truth of the matter is that we are all impacted by mental health issues in one way or another, whether personally or by someone we know. Here are some sobering facts from the National Council for Behavioral Health1:

  • 1 in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness.

Perhaps in the year 2020, mental health awareness has become more real to virtually everyone as anxiety may no longer be something “imagined” by those labeled mentally unstable— it may have rooted itself as a daily experience for the mainstream masses. As many are being forced to practice self-care, sometimes as a solo act without being able to rely on the usual support network of friends and family, anxiety and depression may have become a reality for even some of the most stoic and resilient individuals.

Regardless of each person’s specific health concerns, mental or physical, the entire world is now jointly contemplating self-care. Even high-schoolers are already aware of the importance of health maintenance. A younger person may be more interested in having lots of energy during school hours spent entirely online and having the stamina to cram for exams. Or, those in their 20s and 30s may prioritize muscle building and weight management while awaiting the reopening of gyms. As aging progresses, the concern may transition to heart health, digestive efficiency and restful sleep. The older the individual, the more the focus may be on the range of ailments associated with premature aging of the brain and other vital organs. Nutraceutical industry leaders contend that “the age-related perspective has shifted towards solutions that are relevant throughout an individual’s lifespan.”2

There is no getting away from the fact that good nutrition and consistent physical activity are the keys to sustained health. You can cheat once in awhile but every one of us has to get back on the track of healthy nutrition and exercise. Active Wellness is important, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. This has been the Nikken approach from the company’s inception and continues. Eat well, exercise daily and stay safe!



Take Care of Mom the Way She Takes Care of You!













Sneak Peek at Great Nutritional Products Just Around the Corner!










Eat Breakfast on Any Food Regimen

Virtually every advice column about starting the day off right includes a section about always eating breakfast. Yet the trend recently is to skip breakfast in order to practice intermittent fasting to lose weight. Many people show compelling weight loss through intermittent fasting, but what are the long-term ramifications of skipping breakfast?

According to study after study on both children and adults, people who eat breakfast do better on cognitive and memory tests than those who skip it.1 The Journal of the American College of Cardiology also notes that “skipping breakfast could be bad for your ticker. The results found that of the nearly 7,000 people it surveyed over a period of roughly 20 years, those who didn’t eat breakfast had an increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.”2

As the name suggests, breakfast breaks the overnight fasting period. It replenishes our supply of glucose to boost energy levels and alertness, while also providing other essential nutrients required for good health. It improves our ability to concentrate in the short term, and can help with better weight management, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the long term.3

The good news for those who practice intermittent fasting is that in fact, you can have your intermittent fasting and eat breakfast, too, and there is substantial evidence you’d be better off that way. The time window we choose to fast matters. Fasting in the evening and overnight, then eating early in the day is the pattern that has the most profound benefits. “The research is clear that people who eat in the morning and afternoon have healthier blood lipid profiles and better blood sugar control and tend to weigh less than those who eat late in the day. And people who eat breakfast tend to have better overall nutrient intakes than those who skip it. Also, eating during the waking hours, when your mental and physical demands are highest, gives you the fuel to perform at your best.”4

Commonly eaten breakfast foods such as whole grains, eggs, yogurt and fruit are rich in key nutrients such as folate, calcium, iron, B vitamins and fiber. Breakfast therefore potentially provides a lot of your day’s total nutrient intake. In fact, people who eat breakfast are more likely to meet their recommended daily intakes of vitamins and minerals than people who don’t.

 However you choose to start your day, Nikken provides nutritional supplements to fill in the gap. Kenzen Vital Balance® Meal Replacement Mix is the perfect breakfast by itself or added to your other foods. Add Kenzen® Mega Daily 4 (formulas for women or for men) veggie-based multivitamins, Kenzen Jade GreenZymes® made with Mother Nature’s perfect food in the form of high-grade barley grass and Kenzen Lactoferrin® 2.0 to absorb iron and maintain a healthy gut for overall health! Eat an Active Wellness breakfast and feel the right start difference!

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Why Iron is so Important to Gut Health

April is recognized as IBS awareness month. IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and is a fairly common disease that afflicts between 10 and 15% of the general population in the United States. IBS affects the digestive system and generally causes stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea, constipation or any combination of symptoms. It’s particularly annoying because the cause may remain unknown and the condition can linger for weeks, months or years.

Evidence is building with researchers that sufferers of IBS may have unhealthy microbiomes—this means their good gut flora (good bacteria) is lacking. When the balance of the gut flora is disturbed, unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms arise. There are new clues that an ongoing disturbance in gut flora could contribute to the onset of IBS.1

Suffering from both anemia and IBS is relatively common and there is a logical reason behind it.2 Anemia is a common blood disorder where there is a shortage of red blood cells. Anemic people are usually fatigued, because red blood cells are the ones that carry oxygen. There are many types of anemia, but the most common type is due to low iron or low vitamin B12 levels in the blood.

Iron is stored in the body in a protein called ferritin; therefore, monitoring ferritin levels can help prevent iron deficiency. Also, it’s important to know why you have low iron or B12 levels. Oftentimes, it’s because you don’t absorb them well. People with IBS and related digestive problems often have a problem absorbing nutrients since both diarrhea and constipation cause malabsorption.3

Since iron supplements can exacerbate IBS symptoms with increased bloating, constipation and sometimes diarrhea4, natural foods that are high in iron may prove easier on the digestive tract. Plant sources of iron include dark leafy greens, potatoes, tomatoes, lentils, soybeans and nuts. Animal sources of iron include beef, chicken liver and egg yolks. Pescatarian options include tuna, mackerel, clams and oysters.

There is a limited amount of time to absorb iron from food—it’s primarily absorbed in the third of the small intestine known as the duodenum. As food transits past the duodenum, there is still an opportunity for iron absorption but less so.5 Given the short amount of time iron from food can be absorbed, helping its chances of absorption are important. That is precisely where Kenzen Lactoferrin® 2.0 comes in!

Kenzen Lactoferrin 2.0 is not an iron supplement. As noted by nutritionists and researchers, elemental iron is not only hard to absorb but may actually make IBS symptoms worse. The Lactoferrin 2.0 solution is to help the body to better utilize and balance the iron in the body.* This is accomplished with the special delivery system that Lactoferrin 2.0 provides. Lactoferrin is in fact a protein that binds and transports iron, that is, using the iron that’s already in the body rather than adding external sources of iron.Screen Shot 2020-04-15 at 9.52.57 AM

Consumers of Kenzen Lactoferrin 2.0 are diehard fans for life. Whether you have stomach issues or not, properly absorbing and utilizing the iron in your body is bound to accelerate Active Wellness.




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